Hestia
by outloux
Summary: Throughout the years, Malon will always give the Hero of Time a home to return to. — post-OoT, Link/Malon
1. Chapter 1

**pre-work:** i've always to write a malink story, but never knew how.  
 **title:** Hestia  
 **summary:** Throughout the years, Malon will always give the Hero of Time a home to return to. — post-OoT, Link/Malon

* * *

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He is ten when he arrives at the ranch, asking her father for a job. Malon remembers him instantly, dressed in that peculiar shade of green, evocative of Hyrule's deep and mysterious forests. He had helped her wake up her father that day in Castle Town, and now that Malon thinks about it, she had given him a nickname too.

Fairy boy, she recalls, after giving it some thought. Yet, his fairy is nowhere to be seen.

Malon walks up closer to the boy. His blond locks are parted neatly in front of his features, blue eyes electric.

"Fairy Boy, where's your fairy?" she frowns.

He freezes, muscles tense. His eyes are sharp and somewhat foreboding when he turns to glare at her. There's a dark feeling in the pit in of Malon's stomach. She feels as though she's gotten in trouble with an adult — like that time she'd forgotten to close the ranch gates, and her father had scolded her.

The blond must've noticed his intense look, because his features soften before he looks off into the distance. Malon almost lets out a sigh of relief.

"My name is Link, not fairy boy," he says forlornly. "My fairy...she had to leave."

Malon feels sad looking at him, all of a sudden. His blue eyes are downcast, lips shifted into a frown.

"I'm sorry, Link," she says, unsure of what else to say.

Link shakes his head and breaks out into a smile. "Don't be. In any case, it's nice to meet you again, Malon."

"It's nice to meet you too," she smiles back.

* * *

Link is a hard worker. Whereas Malon still rubs the sleep out of her eyes while milking the cows, Link is nothing but attentive with regard to his duties. Link hauls heavy pails of water or nails together a new section of fencing without so much as breaking a sweat, let alone yawning.

One morning, they sit together watching the sun rise. They were both supposed to collect the eggs an hour before, but Link had long since completed the task.

"Why are you always so awake, Fairy B-, I mean, Link?" she stumbles, covering her mouth with both hands. Link only nods and smiles at her reassuringly. Some things would never change.

"I practice archery and my swordsmanship in the morning," he responds, flexing his left hand absentmindedly. Malon's mouth widens with amazement.

"Can you shoot a bulls-eye?"

She leans over excitedly, and Link's smile widens bashfully.

"Sometimes," he admits, scratching his head. "It's hard because I'm used to a bigger bow." His hands stretch out to his entire arm-span to demonstrate.

"Why would you be used to such a big bow?" she frowns. Link's mouth widens and closes quickly, but the surprise on his face is still evident.

"I-uh...back in the Kokiri Forest, they just had bigger bows," he says, unconvincingly. The redhead seems to buy into the idea, nodding along. Link changes the subject quickly, but Malon doesn't forget that brief flash of uncertainty on his face.

* * *

Malon spies on him when she manages to wake up early enough in the morning. True to his word, Link practices his swordsmanship every single morning, but stores away the sword deep within a chest immediately after. His archery has improved steadily since that conversation, each set of shots hardly ever escaping the bulls-eye.

There are times when the redhead thinks that Link knows she's there, especially when he turns and stares somewhat unnervingly in the direction of her hiding spot. But the blond always shakes his head and turns back to his previous activity, as if confronting her wasn't worth his time.

One morning, she comes up with the ingenious idea of hiding in the rafters of the stables. Trying not to giggle, Malon watches Link enter the structure.

He walks over to Epona, one of their wildest foals, whistling a familiar tune. Strangely, Epona doesn't nicker or buck at his presence like she does with other visitors. Link whistles for a little longer, as the horse nuzzles into his hand affectionately.

Malon widens her eyes when she realizes what song he's whistling.

"You stole that song from me!" she shrieks angrily.

Link yells in surprise and jumps back, but doesn't fall down like she thought he would. His body weight is spread out perfectly, his feet shoulder-width apart, and every muscle in his body is tensed, as if ready to fight. His eyebrows are furrowed, while his blue eyes scan the area for any sign of movement.

Malon hops down from her hiding place, and Link relaxes when he spots her, though his facial expression turns from one of suspicion to one of pure shock. The redhead is getting more and more used to that surprised expression on his face, though he's gotten better at hiding it over time.

"Malon, you nearly scared me to death," Link says unconvincingly.

The redhead frowns.

"That song. Where did you learn it?"

"...well, I learned it from you," he half-lies, trying to smile sheepishly at her.

"How? I never taught it to you," says the redhead, crossing her arms.

Link doesn't respond, racking his brain frantically to come up with an excuse. Malon's blue eyes bore into him, and Link grows more nervous by the second.

"That song was composed by my mother," Malon says softly, after another moment.

"She died when I was young."

The farmgirl looks away. Link walks over to the redhead and places a hand on her shoulder gently.

"I'm sorry," he says genuinely. Malon's blue eyes are somewhat glassy, but she blinks the tears away and looks at him. For a moment, his eyes look quite old, but the farmgirl attributes it to a trick of the light, nothing more but the way the sunrise reflects off his face.

"This song must mean a lot to you," Link murmurs, pulling out a small blue object from his pocket. Upon closer inspection, it's an ocarina, with the Royal Seal engraved on a circular strip of metal surrounding the mouthpiece.

Malon doesn't have many worldly possessions, but even she can tell that this is a piece of excellent craftsmanship, if not divine in nature. After all, rumor has it that anything with the Royal Seal on it has some magic imbued within it. The redhead tries not to stare blatantly.

"Do you mind teaching it to me properly?" he asks, pulling Malon out of her admiration for the artifact.

Malon nods and clears her throat.

* * *

Several months go by after she teaches him her mother's song. Malon finds it easier and easier to wake up, if only out of her sheer competitive spirit. After all, Lon Lon Ranch is her birthright, and she won't be losing to some fairy boy when it comes to taking care of the farm — even if Epona does seem to like him better. Link seems to enjoy her presence, lips curling upwards whenever she chirps 'hello' or 'good morning'.

"Have you ever wanted to see the kingdom, Fairy Boy?" she asks innocently one day, as the two of them collect eggs from the hen house.

Link nearly drops an egg upon hearing the question, but his reflexes are as quick as ever. He dives to catch the egg before smoothly tucking his legs into a roll. Malon raises an eyebrow and mutters, "Showoff."

Link chuckles and sheepishly smiles. "Sorry. Force of habit."

"Anyway," continues the redhead, frowning at him. "Haven't you ever wanted to see the kingdom?"

Link sets the egg neatly with the rest and looks down at them with a pensive expression on his face. Malon knows that look, and there's a sinking feeling in her stomach. She never knows which questions will be met with blatant shock or a degree of hesitation, and the redhead hates the way he frowns and looks so sad when he answers.

"I did," the blond says after a moment. "When I was younger."

"You're only ten, though. Like me," points out Malon, walking up to him. She counts the eggs they've harvested this morning, while sneaking a glance at Link from her peripheral vision. There's a smile on Link's face, but something about it makes Malon's heart ache.

He seems to notice her frown and quickly says, "I can tell you a lot about Hyrule, if you want. I've..."

Link pauses.

"...read a lot about each location."

As always, Link is never good at lying about his past. He looks to the farmgirl to gauge how effective his deception is, relieved to find her mouth gaping in surprise.

"You can read? My dad said he'd teach me how to read and write a while ago, but he never got around to it."

"I'll teach you after our chores, if you want," he says, happy to change the subject.

Malon nods eagerly, a bright spark in her eyes.

* * *

Malon knows the Hylian alphabet already from another childhood song her mother had taught her prior to her death. She's quick to figure out how written letters are pronounced and even learns how to sound out common words, like horse or cow, with ease. To help her practice, Link starts to write out certain words in the ground with a stick.

"Ma-lon. Malon," the redhead repeats, looking to Link somewhat puzzled. She repeats it once more under her breath, before the farmgirl says eagerly, "Oh, that's my name! Malon!"

Link smiles while nodding and starts to write out longer words and phrases. Malon sounds the letters out with some difficulty, with Link providing gentle guidance every step of the way. Eventually, Link begins writing out an entire sentence for her, though the redhead becomes slightly nervous as the sentence stretches far longer in length than any of the previous phrases.

Link finishes writing the sentence and leans slightly on his stick, motioning for her to try it out.

"The...qui-ck...brown fox..."

Malon's eyebrows furrow in frustration.

"Try starting over again. It's okay to take it slow," says Link reassuringly. Malon nods diligently.

Link tunes out her voice as she works her way through the sentence. It is a very nice day, he thinks, as the breeze passes by. The beams of sunlight streaming down on Lon Lon Ranch are warm and nurturing, unlike the oppressive heat of the Gerudo Desert and Death Mountain.

The hero closes his eyes.

Upon arriving in this timeline, Link had sealed away his piece of the ancient magic deep within himself, so as to not tip off any magic-sensitive observers. Malon's voice grows even more distant as he focuses on tapping into that wellspring of energy, and suddenly, he can feel _it._

He can feel the Triforce resonating with everything around him: the soil itself pulses with energy, up into the trees and extending to even the most minute branches. It's almost too much to handle.

Link pulls back from the power and exhales. The sound of Malon's voice comes back into focus. Birds chirp in the distance. This is everything that he and Zelda had fought for, in the other timeline. Link thinks he ought to be grateful, having been given a second chance to live out his life, to make this ranch his new home.

And yet there's this haunting feeling that this just isn't where he belongs.

"Link! I did it!" Malon says brightly, shaking the blond out of his thoughts. "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog! The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog!"

Link can't help but smile as she embraces him tightly in gratitude.

* * *

By the end of the day, Malon is flying through paragraphs, let alone single sentences. After returning from Castle Town, Talon is both surprised and overjoyed to see his daughter reading one of his almanacs. As Malon reads by the light of the window, her father thanks Link and pulls him in with a firm handshake.

"How'd you like to marry her someday?" he whispers while winking conspiratorially.

Though Link has heard the request before, in what feels like another lifetime, he is still caught speechless and turns a vibrant shade of red. Talon only laughs heartily, ruffling the boy's hair affectionately.

After a celebratory dinner of roasted Cucco with freshly baked bread, Malon rushes back to the hearth of the fireplace, eager to practice her newfound ability. The light of the flame is more than enough for her to rush through each page, absorbing every bit of new information along the way.

Eventually, Link joins her by the hearth, their hips barely brushing as he looks over to what she's reading.

"Fairy Boy! This book has some funny jokes. Do you want to hear some?" asks Malon, smiling effervescently. Link nods, adding another piece of wood to the flame.

The redhead tells an anecdote about a farmer and his lost Cucco, and they laugh like children ought to.

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 **notes:** the original title for this story was repeated twice in the last section of this chapter. if you can guess what it is, i'll give you a prize? in any case, i really hope you guys enjoyed the story so far. i predict that this story will be somewhere from 3-4 chapters? not totally sure yet.

if you liked it, please leave a review! i'd love to see some feedback. :)


	2. Chapter 2

**pre-work:** this chapter was hard to write, particularly the section regarding Link's placement in time  
 **title:** Hestia  
 **summary:** Throughout the years, Malon will always give the Hero of Time a home to return to. — post-OoT, Link/Malon

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He is nearly eleven when news of a failed Gerudo coup reaches Lon Lon Ranch.

Talon returns home one day, looking slightly shaken. Link presses him as casually as he can for more information, his own stomach turning over at the thought of Zelda being pursued by Ganondorf once more.

"Luckily, it seems like the Royal Family is fine. Rumor has it someone warned them in advance of a possible betrayal," says Talon, a slight smile on his face. Link keeps his face as impassive as possible, turning to tend to the fire.

"Did you hear anything about the leader of the coup?" asks Link calmly, straining his ears for Talon's response over the crackling of the flame.

Talon looks up and ponders the inquiry.

"I was told that he was captured and thrown in the dungeon."

Captured, not killed. This wasn't good. Link frowns, adding another block of wood to the hearth. With Ganondorf's prodigious strength and magical prowess, no dungeon would hold him forever.

"What's that dark look on your face for?"

Link doesn't hide his surprise well at Talon's question, but Malon's father only chuckles and pats the boy on the back reassuringly.

"Don't worry. You're far from the castle. Malon and you will be just fine."

As if on cue, the redhead enters through the front door, a bright smile on her face. There are flecks of hay in her hair, as she had just finished bringing all the horses back to the stables. Malon places herself next to Link cheerfully, as Talon ruffles her hair affectionately.

"Fairy Boy, will you tell me another story tonight?"

The hero nods silently.

* * *

Link tells her a story about a hero who saved the Zora from being eternally frozen. The redhead's eyelids flutter with fatigue towards the end of the story. Soon, her breathing grows slow and even.

He slips out of the house with nothing more than his sword and shield. The castle wasn't far off from the ranch, and if he rode hard atop Epona, Link could easily infiltrate the castle before sunrise. Although Talon had reassured him once more after dinner that they were perfectly safe at the ranch, Link wasn't convinced.

Ganondorf was still alive, and that alone was reason enough to leave.

Gingerly opening the stable doors, Link notes that this is the first time he'd be returning to Castle Town since being spirited back to his childhood from the final battle. The blond doesn't remember much, but he remembers certain sensations: the fatigue and pain aching in every fiber of his body, the soothing whisper of Zelda's time magic, the sharp sorrow in his heart as Navi fluttered away—

The hero blinks quickly, eyes glassy for a moment. But duty calls, and Link draws closer to Epona, whistling her favorite melody softly.

Epona nuzzles into his hand, and Link recalls the mystery of figuring out exactly what point in time Zelda had sent him back to. There he was, sitting on the cold marble of the Temple of Time, laying out all of his possessions on the ground in an effort to triangulate his position in the timeline.

Given the presence of the Spiritual Stone of the Forest, he had already taken care of the infection festering within the Great Deku Tree. The comforting grip of his Fairy Slingshot helped solidify his theory that Gohma was gone. However, the lack of the other two Spiritual Stones meant that he had not yet ventured to Death Mountain or Zora's Domain. The lack of a well-worn bomb bag and his boomerang further confirmed his theory.

But perhaps the most important clue he had found among his various belongings was a strange-looking egg. After a moment of thought, Link realized it was the same egg Malon had given him the first time they had met. The fact that it was still safely incubating meant that he had met the farmgirl in the market earlier that same day, but hadn't yet woken up her father in the castle grounds.

Thus, Zelda had sent him back to a point in the timeline right after he had entered Castle Town with Navi, but before their first meeting. He still isn't exactly sure how the princess transported him to the Temple of Time specifically, but the magic of time had always been somewhat mysterious for the hero.

After solving the mystery of his temporal displacement, Link's memory of infiltrating the castle was tinged with adrenaline from avoiding the castle guards and pure shock that he'd made it back to his childhood at all. Waking up Talon with the Cucco a second time was an afterthought.

Speaking with Zelda had been somewhat unnerving — her form as a child was a sharp contrast to the war-weary princess of his past, but Link remembers getting his message across quite clearly. His further demand to speak to the King himself had been met with serious doubt from Impa.

He still remembers the way her red eyes narrowed in suspicion, but upon displaying his Spiritual Stone and raising the back of his left hand, the hero had been granted an audience almost immediately.

Regardless, Link concludes while saddling Epona, it seemed that his ominous and very specific warning to the Royal Family was not completely successful. The fact that Ganondorf had not been immediately apprehended at the time had been troubling, to say the least.

They just didn't know how dangerous the Gerudo was, Link thinks, as he mounts Epona and heads for the ranch gates.

After all, there was no real source of turmoil from Death Mountain or Zora's Domain when Link had arrived. The King of Thieves hadn't yet blocked off the Gorons' source of food or placed a monster within Jabu-Jabu's belly. And even if those events had transpired, there was no way to prove it was Ganondorf. Imprisoning the leader of an important tribe based on some child's word was akin to a declaration of war — even if said child did have an important spiritual artifact and the sigil of the Triforce on his left hand.

Still, Link wasn't going to let Ganondorf usurp the throne a second time. He might stuck in a child's body once more, but the power of the Triforce was still present within him, a constant wellspring of magical energy lurking just underneath the surface.

And if worse came to worst, he would collect the other Spiritual Stones and pull out the Master Sword again.

The hero tries to stifle the shudder that runs down his spine when he thinks about spending another seven years in stasis. The Blade of Evil's Bane had been his greatest weapon in his fight against Ganondorf, but leaving it in the Temple of Time had felt cathartic, as if the weight of Hyrule had finally been lifted off of his shoulders.

Link was not eager to take on that responsibility once more.

With clammy hands, the blond urges Epona to gallop faster into the night.

* * *

The summer night is cool, crickets chirping in the distance. Slipping through the gates easily, Link notes that there are hardly any guards on duty tonight. Had the failed coup had such a devastating effect on Hyrule's garrison?

But Link hears a murmur nearby and quickly ducks behind a bush. The hero presses his face to the ground and scans the area quickly. Two pairs of feet. One of them is more heavy-set than the other. Link listens intently for any useful information.

"When's your shift?"

"I have to head down to the dungeons for guard duty now. A bit strange that they're keeping the Gerudo alive if we're just going to cut their heads off in a couple days, isn't it?"

Link nearly sighs aloud in relief, his heart no longer clenching itself tightly. So the death of Ganondorf and his followers was imminent. Still, it wouldn't hurt to make sure that the kingdom's precautions were adequate.

The two guards exchange pleasantries before the heavier-set guard sets off for the lower levels of the castle. Link becomes a shadow, tailing him down to the dungeons. At one point, Link can't decide whether or not he's irritated or proud that the guard is making frequent checks around the corners for potential wrongdoers. But he ultimately decides on pride: after all, these are the people protecting the princess when he's not around.

Link lets the guard walk far down the hallway before making his way to the inner sanctum. Despite Ganondorf's bastardization of the castle in the future, if the layout of the castle was roughly the same, the Gerudo were probably held within the deepest—

Quick footsteps cloaked in shadow.

Link pulls out his sword without a second thought and parries a blow aimed for his jugular. He attempts to bash the assailant's wrist with his shield, with enough force to crack bone. But the attacker is lithe and fast, deftly stepping out of the way. Link shifts the momentum of his shield bash into a quick spin and aims his sword just above the abdomen, a stab right in the chest— is that a Sheikah eye?

He pauses, and so does Impa, her red eyes crinkling in amusement. Her own right hand, armed with a knife, is aimed at Link's neck once more. The hero sheathes his blade, before scanning the Shadow Sage's face.

"I'm glad such a fierce warrior is on Hyrule's side," chuckles Impa, knife disappearing as she crosses her arms. "But I am curious, isn't it past your bedtime, young Hero?"

Link sighs and stares exasperatedly at her. The Sheikah did not look a day older from when Link had first met her in either timeline. Silver hair and sharp red eyes. Impa brushes a strand of hair back into place and taps her foot at the young blond, apparently expecting an answer.

"You know why I'm here."

The Sheikah crosses her arms once more, smile fading from her face.

"I have a feeling it has to do with a recent coup, does it not?"

Link nods.

"Come. You have nothing to worry about, Hero."

* * *

The sun begins to rise on Hyrule's skyline. Streaks of red and orange peek above the horizon, lighting the hero's line of sight. Epona gallops happily through the open green fields towards home.

The wind blows through his hair, and Link smiles to himself — his worries had been for nothing! He had forgotten that Ganondorf didn't have his own piece of the Triforce to augment every aspect of his being. His fighting abilities were impressive without the ancient magic, no doubt, and were enough to stage a surprise coup in the other timeline. But against a forewarned army, a retainer of prepared Sheikah, and the Sage of Shadow herself?

They stood no chance.

Ganondorf's followers would be publicly hung soon. The King of Thieves himself would be executed at some point, when they could figure out how to properly restrain his magical abilities. Under Impa's close watch, he would eventually meet his end. Without Ganondorf's piece of the Triforce, the danger of an apocalyptic future would never come to pass.

Link comes back just after the sun fully rises. He's definitely missed most of the morning chores, and Malon is waiting for him at the stables, eyebrows furrowed and lips drawn into an angry pout. There are dark circles under her eyes, curiously. Didn't he put her to bed just before leaving for the castle?

"Where did you go? I spent the night looking for you! I was worried sick, Fairy Boy!" exclaims the redhead, stomping her feet for added emphasis.

Link leads Epona back into her stall. "I had a hard time sleeping. I wanted to go for a ride," he lies. It's almost disconcerting to him, how easily falsehoods spill from his mouth now. Malon continues to frown, arms crossed. Her eyes soften before she turns away from the hero. The redhead walks over to an opening in the stables.

"It's dangerous out at night. You could've gotten hurt," she says gently. "Or worse."

"Don't you think this Fairy Boy can take care of himself?" snorts Link, leaning his back against the opening. Malon frowns.

"I know you're good with a sword and a bow, but we're still just a couple of kids."

There's a moment of silence. Link tries to keep his face as impassive as possible. Epona nickers, as if sensing the redhead's displeasure. He scans her face. Malon looks tired. Guilt pricks at him when he imagines her frantic search for him in the dead of night.

Link sighs.

"Malon, you're right. It was wrong for me to leave so suddenly. Next time, I won't just slip away if...I have to go somewhere. I'm sorry I worried you."

She takes a deep breath. The frown disappears. "You're lucky I didn't tell my father. He'd let you have it if I told him that you let me do all the chores this morning.

Link smiles sheepishly. "How can I make it up to you?"

The redhead looks up thoughtfully, before turning to him with a bright sparkle in her eyes.

"Tell me a story every night for a month!"

He laughs. "A month? You drive a hard bargain. I don't even know if there are that many stories for me to tell." Of course, that wasn't true. Link could probably tell her enough tales from his adventure for a year if he really wanted to.

Malon pouts again, but there's no real anger in her face. There's a puppy dog quality to the way she looks at him now, and Link can't help but smile.

"Okay, if that's what you want," agrees the hero. Satisfied, Malon grins and links her arm through his. Her skin is warm, he thinks, as she starts walking him towards the house.

"Come on, breakfast is waiting."

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* * *

 **notes:** sorry it took so long for an update. after maybe one or two more chapters, i have no idea where this story is gonna go. lmk if you have any suggestions!


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